News

Adventist Radio London Goes Live

Tháng Tư 11, 2018

Residents in London, United Kingdom, now have a brand new radio choice, a station unashamedly sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Following months of planning, preparation, and testing, Adventist Radio London (ARL) went live on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) this week with a Sunday Breakfast show hosted by two of its millennial presenters, Lynette Allcock and Sam Gungaloo.

In anticipation of the launch, the 1,000+ capacity Brixton Seventh-day Adventist Church hosted a special dedication service on Sabbath, April 7. ARL director Michael Hamilton emphasized that the purpose of the radio station is to “share the everlasting gospel commissioned to this church with the multi-cultural population of London, with emphasis on millennials, empowering them to make Christ their choice.”

The station aims to share the gospel with the multi-cultural millennials of London, empowering them to make Christ their choice.

Emmanuel Osei, president of the South England Conference (SEC), quoted the Apostle Paul’s statement from Romans 1 in his address to the congregation: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation.” Osei likened the ancient city of Rome that the Apostle Paul visited to London. He noted that Rome was never an easy place to win souls for Jesus Christ. Equally London, he said, is described by some as a secular and a difficult place to share the gospel. However, Osei added, “we are also called to proclaim unashamedly the Adventist message to Londoners because God has given us the means to do so through Adventist Radio London.”

Other presenters included Victor Hulbert, TED communication director, and Ray Allen, AWR vice president, both of whom started their media careers volunteering with AWR. Offering special dedicatory prayers, they portrayed their combined passion for sharing Christ through the radio.

Ofcom, the UK governing body for issuing broadcasting licenses, granted the license to ARL in August of 2017. This happened much earlier than expected, and at a time when preparations were still in progress to build a studio. Subsequently, the SEC recruited a core team of seven individuals who will produce, present, and manage the programming. In addition, many others are volunteering to contribute time and talent to the production of quality programs that will share the good news in engaging ways.

London, like Rome, is not an easy place to win souls for Jesus Christ.

The studio is set with cameras so listeners can “watch” live shows via the ARL Facebook page.

The dedication signaled a soft launch, as the station is still under development. Currently, the station is running 24/7 but is only live during morning and evening drive times.

Hamilton encourages everyone to tune in and listen – on DAB in the greater London area, or via radio apps such as Tune In, from the Adventist Radio London website (adventistradio.london) or their dedicated Facebook page. ARL also intends to use all major social media platforms to connect with their audience.

Hamilton emphasizes that the ARL mission statement is based on the method and model of Christ’s ministry. He says, “Adventist Radio London will unashamedly extend the teaching, preaching, and healing ministries of Christ to the diverse millennial mindset of London, discipling them to holistic living and to know Jesus their Saviour, the only hope for mankind.”

Leadership support from the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and generous funding support from Adventist World Radio have helped the station come to fruition. The collaboration with AWR also enabled the provision of equipment to get the studio ready for broadcasting and production.

Gratefulness also extends to the former SEC media director, Vili Costescu, and the SEC media team. Their combined efforts were instrumental in the initial stages of obtaining the DAB license and for setting the vision for such a station in London, a vision fully and enthusiastically embraced by the full South England Conference team: making God known in London.

by Sam Davies, tedNEWS, an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division